The Power Of The Dog – Don Winslow

More thriller Mexican drug war fiction.

I considered leaving that as my entire post – as that’s pretty much it really. Spanning 30 years of the Mexican drug war from all sides of the crisis, a thriller, at times depressing, at times disheartening, and of course at times unbelievable – but still great.

There really isn’t much more to say than that? The characters were similar to ‘Savages’ (the wealthy druglord wife, the angry protagonist) but this time split off in a more interesting way with the initial cartel creation through how American input into the left/communist states within South America.

It leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Are the ideas and themes real? (A quick google search on Red Mist doesn’t deliver anything of relevance) but an interesting take. I’m about 80% sure this is just an incredibly insightful writer who has been able to get to the core of the many sides of the conflict and essentially look at how American influence through the rest of South America has changed the conflict entirely.

I was reminded by a great book of Naomi Klein’s called ‘Shock Doctrine’ – which outlined how America supported some conflicts and regime’s in South America only for those countries to turn over. Still afraid of Communism even now, I guess we see it as anti-Chinese sentiment rather than the dreaded Red side encroaching ever-closer to the states.

I think I read it too close to Savages I think for it to have more than ‘oh this is just a good thriller’ impact. I think I should definitely try some proper non-fiction around the Drug war and see how that goes. Los Zetas, you’re next.